Watering hosta gardens

[jerryshenk]

I'm pretty new at this hosta gardening thing so I have a question about watering: How often and how much do you water?

It seems that one option is never and I'm sure the hosta that already were here when we moved have not been watered in at least 10 years and they seem to be going ok...getting a bit burned by the end of summer.

Soaker hose: I've used soaker hoses in the past (no hostas). Typically, I snake them around the plants as I think appropriate, dig a little dirt out under them so that they are mostly underground and then mulch over top to hide the hose and hold the moisture in. Typically, I'd turn the hose on for an hour or two every couple days to soak 'em good and deep if it's hot/dry and less often maybe once a week if it's not so hot. If we get an inch of rain in a week, I wouldn't water them at all.

I'm interested in other idea - do they need water falling on them (rain)? Do they need to really dry out (I'm guessing not really -but not sopping wet all the time either)?

Update: there is an "encouraging root growth" thread that has some watering tips/thoughts.

[Mark Raw]

With regard to watering when it has rained, yes do it as the (if large) crown of leaves actually act as an umbrella and unless the hosta has a huge root system they miss out on the water. I do beleive though the petiole (stalk to which the leaf is attatched) is shaped as it is for that reason. If you look at one closely you will see it is U or V shaped, I believe this is to act as a channel for rain water to run down as it runs off the back end of the leaf then down to the crown where it is needed. Not sure if that is scientifically correct just my theory. In the same way most leaves end with a ponted tip;for the rain to run off and to the ground also to acts as a way of keeping excess water off the leaves. All my hosta are grown in pots (no garden) and I find even after a torrential down pour the pots can still be dryish because of the rain running off the leaves.

[thy]

If you waht great hostas... Never is not an option, they need water, plenty of water, one inch a week is minimum for clay soil, 2/3 of an inch fits for sandy soil every 5. day... you have to water deep.

Post are a pest in rainy or drissling days.. so easy to forget and roots are running round the pots, with leaf tips outside the pot, sort of challenge or

[Tigger]

The result of last year's record rainfall (53" from April to April) was quite apparent this spring. Hostas came up huge. Sadly God does a mech better job of watering than we've been able to manage in this hot, dry year. One problem with shade gardens is they don't often lend themselves to sprinkler watering.

[John Polka]

I also believe that a good natural rain is more effective than flouride treated chlorinated water lol...

[kHT]

Jerry, we have both soaker and the firemen hoses in our west bed. Those are hooked up to the rain barrels but I have to use the hose w/water on the hostas due to all the stuff coming off the huge pines. At least a couple times a month I have to hose them down and water around the crown to get all the junk out until it stops falling.

[Noreaster]

Mark, that is an interesting point about the petioles....which leads me to wonder if it's more important to get water to the crown area as opposed to the longer roots near the outer edges of the hosta canopy. My beds are too irregularly laid out and sloped for me to wrangle a soaker hose in there, though that would seem to be ideal for watering. So that leaves me with rain and overhead sprinkling, which I'm not that good about. Now that many of my hosta are getting large, not to mention just about all of them are under the tree canopy of tall pines and oaks, I find it is quite dry under those hosta leaves. And yet, they grow. Most of them grow very well, so go figure. We don't have super hot summers and I have a lot of shade, so that probably helps them stay looking good for the whole season. I have a couple rain barrels and I do fill up buckets and dump them underneath the leaves of some of the biggest ones, during the hottest, dryest spells. We also had a rainy late Spring so I feel like I havent had to do much watering this year.

[rockNhostas]

It takes me a good 1 1/2 hrs. or more, but I take the hose and water each and every one at the crown, getting under those leaves...sometimes daily when it is this hot. Our place is on top of granite, so the drainage is really good and it doesn't take long for things to dry out. We did get a nice rain two mornings ago, so I got to skip a day of watering. The newer plants are stressed, but I'm sure they will be ok. I am seeing new growth emerging on most of them.

Even when it is not this hot, I water them...maybe three times per week and that seems to be working.

[Noreaster]

I water by hand sometimes, too....just because it's kind of relaxing, lol. But I always wonder if I'm doing an adequate job when I water that way. How long do you stand there and water one 3' wide hosta, for example?

[rockNhostas]

I give them a good long drink. Maybe a few minutes...and on the big ones I do try to give them a nice long drink on both sides of the plant. My previous home was in the woods and I had heavy shade. We were in a fairly low spot with moist, rich soil. Raising hostas was never much effort there, and I never watered them. This place is more open and with the good drainage I have to do it. I am trying to establish more shade for them with shrubs and trees and it's starting to fill in nicely. I don't mind doing the watering at all. I do find it relaxing.

[jonbry123]

In answering of how much, where and when hosta should be watered in studying their native habit of eastern Asia these plants are subject to two primary rainy seasons due to Monsoon rains which occur primarily in the spring and fall. Average rainfall for this region approaches 60-70 inches of rain per year. Though hosta prefer a moist soil at all times copious amounts of water are necessary during spring and fall. As mentioned above the plant's physical characteristics due to the shape of the petiole help funnel water down the petiole to the plant's roots. One thing to remember when watering however is to be sure water is applied all around the plant not just the crown as dry soil near the plant will draw moisture away. Water is the most crucial element IMO as to growing these plants to their full potential followed by light and a rich soil. Most of the hosta we grow are either hybrids or sports yet they all retain the water needs of their ancestors. Water in the spring is crucial for new growth along with production of the new eyes for next years growth. During the summer the plants primarily produce flowers but little or no new foliage. In the fall a major effort is then put forth to produce new roots to support next years new eyes thus the plant's need for larger amounts of water again before going dormant for the winter.

[Chris_W]

We have so much to water that soaker hoses don't work, and when I've tried them in the past I ended up digging and cutting them so often that they were worthless after a while (oops!) So we use overhead watering, and try to soak everything at least once a week. Each sprinkler runs about 2 hours at a time, then I'll move them and overlap each section, checking that nothing was missed. Some areas are very sandy, others more heavy, but it seems that they all need about the same amount of water here. It takes about 3 days to cover everything, the sun areas get water every other week, and the hostas are getting it twice a week right now since things are drying out pretty fast. The only things that I water daily are astilbe and ligularia.

Personally I find with our plants that it is best to water the most during active root growth from June to September. Hosta root growth actually only occurs in the summer. In the fall, after they've been frosted, I let things dry out because wet soil leading into winter can cause more things to heave, especially the young ones and especially in the areas with heavier soil.

Someone asked recently why we shut the water off on the hottest days, and that is primarily to prevent diseases and leaf scorch. Southern blight, if you have it, can run rampant in hot weather if the soil surface is wet, but we haven't seen it here in quite a few years so it probably wouldn't matter too much. Right now we don't have any choice but to water in the 90s, though we do make sure the potted plants dry out between watering.

Unless your garden is in a natural wetland type area then I don't think not watering is really an option, especially if you grow a lot of the newer hybrids.

[thy]

If your hostas ave not been watered in 10 years I only see one reason
How high is your ground water or dó you have others under soil level water sources and pure sand on top of it

My sons house have a risky high groundwater level..have to run pumps, but the hostas they grow and are stunning, in his former house he lived on the highest spot in the srea, may be4 foot ower the fjors/sea water level with pure sand.. and a bit of compost on top of it.. and the grow like weeds there too.

Both places they have free acces to all the water they want.

Pia

[Linda P]

I've been watering since mid-May. Since I have extensive hosta beds, the hose is busy somewhere around 12-13 hours a day, 7 days a week, and it takes me about a week to get all the way around, and then it's time to start again. I water til they've had the equivalent of about an inch of rain, and over the years I have developed a pattern for watering. I also overlap the way Chris does, to make sure nothing is missed. This year I even watered the sunny beds, which I don't normally do. I was so happy to get over an inch and a half of rain last week so I could gather up the hose for a while and take a break from dragging it. Soaker hoses and in-ground systems are not an option here on the farm, especially with my far-flung beds. I've tried them and end up chopping them with my shovel or dragging them out of place with a hoe or rake. As hot and dry as it's been this year, I've also had to water at temps over 90, though I much prefer not to. If I stopped when the temps went up I'd never get all the way around. I have been seeing more rot this year than normal, mostly, I think, due to frost damage that I missed and did not get cleaned up earlier.
So, in answer to the original question, at least an inch a week if you don't get that much rain seems the minimum to me.

[jerryshenk]

So, it's pretty sure that I'm not watering too much;)

The ones that never got watered (didn't ask but, nothing was weeded or trimmed so I doubt they were watered) was old, standard hosta, perhaps Royal Standard and Undulate Unitatta. The plain green ones (Royal Standard?) were on a high point of ground in a corner of the driveway that gets nearly full sun and it's under a high pine tree so it's pretty dry - they had a lot of dry edged by the end of the summer. There are also some of them along the property edge mixed with the varigated - 8' varigated, 2' solid green for 200'. That line is in solid shade all day and it's a place where the water runs through when we get any heavy rain. Another patch of varigated were along the walk and they get quite a bit of sun - they got burned pretty good last year. Not watering the "200' line" at all but, we are watering the rest of them. Also extending that first grouping out the driveway where it is shaded most to all of the day.

Here's an example of what I've done with the soaker hose - perhaps I should go tighter around each plant:

DSC_20110901_191424 by jerryshenk, on Flickr

We have well water so we don't have to worry about the chlorine and floride and, we just pay for the electric to pump it out of the ground;)

[ViolaAnn]

We have not touched on the issue of foliar nematodes being spread by overhead watering. I've had increasing numbers over the past 3 years, and try to avoid overhead watering (though I don't know what you do about thunderstorms). But it's been so dry that I've decided the watering is necessary and I don't have the time or energy to stand and water with a wand with the number of plants I now have.

[Noreaster]

I've always thought worrying about overhead watering regarding nematodes was like worrying about closing the barn door after the horses escaped, or whatever that saying is. Unless you live in an extremely arid climate, it's gonna rain, and so you might as well just water overhead.

I always hear plants need an inch of water per week. How do you know when you've given them an inch?

[jerryshenk]

A gallon of water is 231 cubic inches. So, measure your garden and the flow per minute...kindof interesting math but not too bad;)

[Noreaster]

A gallon of water is 231 cubic inches. So, measure your garden and the flow per minute...kindof interesting math but not too bad;)

Wha???

[Tigger]

Poor Pia trying to cope with Americans' distaste for metric system. But in this case 1" is not so bad. If 1 gallon = 231 cubic inches, and you want to "cover" a garden with 1" of water, you can cover 231 square inches with one gallon. That's about 15"x15" (square root function), or just think that 2 square feet (288 square inches) will be a little under-watered by 1 gallon of water.

In metric, you need 2.5 cm water per square cm = 2.5 mL = 0.0025 L. 1 square meter = 10,000 square cm. So you need 25 L water per square meter. So much easier to scale up, isn't it? (30 L covers 1 sq m to 3 cm, etc.)

I have to admit, though, that it's easier to mark my garden out mentally in feet than it is in yards/meters. My sneakers are pretty darn close to 1 foot long!

I'm reminded, though, of a (supposed) conversation back in the days when President Carter tried to move us to metric:
Teacher: It's easy... One meter is about a yard, one kilo is about 2 pounds, one liter is about a quart...
Pupil: What good is a measurement system where something is "about" something? I want them all to be exact!

David